Agriculture is what feeds human beings and ensures the abundance of food that we enjoy today. However, it is becoming vividly clear that the agricultural processes that we have used for the past few centuries have not been the best for the environment.
The use of pesticides, fossil-based farming, and use of some fertilizers may have significantly increased yields, but everything else has suffered. It has led to the rise of environmentally friendly agricultural practices that are becoming more popular. We need to adopt these practices if we are to continue enjoying the food abundance that we have.
Some of the environmentally friendly practices include:
Using Renewable Energy to Power Farm Equipment Where Possible
Modern farms, especially commercial ones, use a great deal of energy. Traditional, non-renewable forms of power have been the primary fuel choice for farms, but they are becoming less viable with time.
A practice that is gaining a lot of popularity in 2022 is using renewable energy on farms as much as possible, especially to power farm equipment such as biogas. Farmers are increasingly using farm supplies that can help them utilize renewable energy.
As the world transitions towards more sustainable energy sources, farms will be at the forefront of the changes. We will see more renewable energy usage on farms all over the planet.
Regenerative Agriculture
Regenerative agriculture is the practice of farming in harmony with natural systems. Regenerative agriculture focuses on reusing, replenishing, and restoring natural resources. Regenerative agriculture shows a massive change in perspective to doing more good to the environment while farming.
The use of green energy is a significant part of regenerative agriculture, but it involves a lot more. Regenerative agriculture is beneficial not only to the environment but also to their livelihoods. Therefore, you can expect the trend of more farmers practicing regenerative agriculture to continue in the future.
Support Pollination
In natural ecological systems, insects and birds are crucial pollinating systems that help maintain ecological balance leading to the flourishing of the environment.
Many farmers actively pollinate their plants in traditional agriculture and may even reduce the insect numbers on purpose. Populations of bees and other pollinators are declining around the world, and increasing their numbers is in the best interest of all farmers.
A trend that will continue is farmers using support pollination instead of taking care of the pollination themselves. Farmers will have plants that attract pollinators which means the planting of single crops on farms will reduce.
Less Pesticide Use
Pesticides have been in use since the advent of traditional agriculture. Pesticides have helped fight pests and other organisms that hurt crops and reduce yields. Pesticides have also led to the pollution of the environment since they contain harmful chemicals which kill the crop harming agents.
Pesticides are doing more harm than good in most cases; hence most farmers are coming up with new ways to deal with them, such as introducing predators to their farms who will not harm the crops.
Farmers also have to think of proper disposal methods, which can be pretty expensive when using pesticides. Therefore, you can expect much less pesticide use in the future.
More Biodiversity
Traditional farms usually plant only one type of plant, which means they have to do a lot to maintain the land’s productivity. Biodiversity increases the amount of plant life on land because it improves soil health and soil structure.
It also means fewer workers and machine use on farms worldwide. A trend in agriculture is that more farmers will add more biodiversity to their farms. Biodiversity will reduce carbon emissions and introduce agents to the soil that other plants can use.
In conclusion, significant changes are happening in the agriculture industry that will continue in 2022. Some of the trends you can expect are more biodiversity, less pesticide use, support pollination, regenerative agriculture, and renewable energy. The trends will primarily be geared towards a less ecological impact to benefit the environment.